The two sabers clashed, causing an explosion of violet qi and black qi. As a result, the mountain rocked and a wild qi wave spread in every direction.
In the Luo family, countless experts stared in the direction of the Honing Heavenly Staircase. However, it was shrouded in mist, so they couldn’t see what was happening. They could only hear metal clashing.
It had been over ten days and that sound continued all this time. Qin Feng, Bai Xiaole, Xu Zixiong, and the others had no idea what was going on. The Luo family’s disciples were also confused.
Today, the sound started once more, but they also saw black and violet qis twining around each other like two giant dragons, soaring into the heavens, shaking the stars. Within the roiling mist, they just barely managed to see two silhouettes but nothing more.
Within the mist, Long Chen and Luo Zichuan’s sabers were still interlocked. Their gazes were as sharp as their sabers as they stared at each other. It was like two invisible blades were clashing as well, and space twisted wildly. This was a clash of mental strength.
“You’re improving quickly, but you’re still a fool. You don’t understand how to use the Dao. All that brute power of yours has nowhere to go. A cultivator must understand that light and dark are two sides of the same coin. Life and death, existence and nonexistence, long and short, high and low, the end of one signifies the birth of the other. If a cultivator doesn’t understand this, they are like a phoenix with no wings, a dragon with no claws, the heavens without the sun, moon, and stars, the earth without rivers and lakes. When there is no cycle of life, that is true death. Even the Heavenly Daos are incomplete, leaving space to grow. You already know that you are lacking things, but you refuse to borrow the power of the Heavenly Daos. That is truly the pinnacle of foolishness.” Luo Zichuan looked at Long Chen coldly. Suddenly, violet qi burst out of his saber, and Long Chen felt an immense power knock him back several steps.
With every step, he left a footprint on this stone mountain. The hardness of this mountain surpassed that of a Treasure item. Even all this fighting hadn’t damaged it.
However, this time, it was as if Long Chen was being pressed down by the power of the Heavenly Daos. He felt like his bones would shatter. When he stabilized himself, he almost coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“What a huge joke. I want to borrow that power, but do you think the Heavenly Daos would allow me to? Even without it, I can still beat you!” roared Long Chen.
Previously, Luo Zichuan had only been fighting Long Chen with his basic saber arts. Now, he was using the power of the Heavenly Daos. As for Long Chen, he was rejected by the Heavenly Daos and unable to use that power.
On the Martial Heaven Continent, he was capable of forcibly absorbing the power of heaven and earth for himself. But in the immortal world, it was no longer possible for him to force the Heavenly Daos to give him their power.
Long Chen refused to submit to the Heavenly Daos. His hostility toward the Heavenly Daos had not diminished at all here. How could he submit to the Heavenly Daos and beg for its power?
Luo Zichuan coldly shouted, “The Grand Dao is formless, giving birth to heaven and earth; the Grand Dao is emotionless, moving the sun and moon; the Grand Dao is nameless, nourishing all life. All things within heaven and earth have their own orbit. Why would the Heavenly Daos only target you? That assumption is you covering your eyes with a leaf so that you don’t see the mountain. The true Heavenly Daos are formless, emotionless, and nameless. The Heavenly Daos are simply the executors of the laws of heaven and earth. For you to think that the Heavenly Daos are targeting you is nothing more than a fanciful thought from you. Just like in society, you can’t possibly obtain everyone’s approval. If someone targets you, are you going to view that person’s entire family as an enemy? Their entire race? The spring rain is a blessing for the farmer, while the pedestrian curses the mud. The autumn moon is like a mirror that beautiful women enjoy, but it is hated by the robbers. If even the heavens cannot satisfy everyone, how can a single person do that?”
Long Chen was shaken, especially by the final part of Luo Zichuan’s words. Rain was both a blessing and a curse. The farmer’s crops were nourished by it, but the travelers were forced to stay indoors or get muddy. The autumn moon was beautiful and bright. Friends and children would play beneath its light. But this light was what the robbers cursed, reflecting their ugliness.
Even an omnipotent existence like heaven and earth could not satisfy everyone. So how could a single person obtain everyone’s approval?
“Your darkness shrouds your heart, shrouding your sixth root, your sixth sense, and your sixth perception. The Heavenly Daos nourish all things in this world. Why would they single you out? Your foolishness is due to your conceit. The final nine steps of the Honing Heavenly Staircase are there to temper a person’s arrogance. They must cast aside their arrogance and treat the Heavenly Daos with respect and gratitude. Then they will naturally feel the blessing of the Heavenly Daos. Water can carry a boat, but it can also drown it. To control the Heavenly Daos is like trying to stay afloat in the mighty waves. To be enemies with the Heavenly Daos and not receive their support, a single person will sooner or later drown beneath the turbulence. The Heavenly Daos do not specifically target anyone or specifically favor anyone. Your fate is in your own hands. It has nothing to do with the Heavenly Daos,” said Luo Zichuan.
Was that true? Long Chen felt lost. From the moment he had set foot in the cultivation world, he had been constantly targeted by heavenly tribulation. His heavenly tribulations were always different from other people’s. Every single time, it was a tribulation that wanted to take his life.
If anyone else said such words, he would definitely scoff at them. But these words were coming from Luo Zichuan, and they shook Long Chen.
“Think carefully. When you breathe, what power is it that is entering your body and helping you recover?” continued Luo Zichuan.
An expression of disbelief appeared in Long Chen’s eyes. With this one reminder, he instantly thought of something.
In order to fight fairly with Luo Zichuan, since Luo Zichuan had suppressed his cultivation base, Long Chen also didn’t use his astral power, nor did he immediately use the primal chaos space to recover from wounds.
He thought that it was the primal chaos space’s automatic healing abilities helping him recover. But with this reminder, he suddenly realized that it wasn’t the primal chaos space. It was the power of the Heavenly Daos. It was Heavenly Dao energy that helped him recover. Long Chen couldn’t believe it.
Long Chen raised his saber and slowly closed his eyes. His saber was an extension of his body that he used to sense this world.
At this moment, heaven and earth fell silent. There was no sound. When he closed his eyes, he saw more. He saw Luo Zichuan’s saber quivering according to a set rhythm. There were eight most optimal attack angles based on that quivering.
He saw the threads of violet qi as they circulated. In that instant, Long Chen had a feeling of absolute control.
He was no longer viewing the world with his eyes but through the angle of the Heavenly Daos. He could clearly sense it. It was unbelievable.
Now Long Chen understood just how big the gap was between him and Luo Zichuan. Before this, he was like a blind man. Now he could finally see. That feeling simply couldn’t be described with words.
Suddenly, a streak of violet light flew straight toward Long Chen’s head like a bolt of lightning. Luo Zichuan had actually launched a killing blow with no warning at all.
